5 Steps To Having An Unforgettable Elevator Pitch

Accounting blog: 5 Steps To Having An Unforgettable Elevator Pitch

Business BootKamp, The Elevator Pitch

Now, you have your Vision and your Mantra, but how do you distill this information into a short, concise, engaging and meaningful proclamation of your company  (and you)?elevator-pitch

Imagine getting stuck on an elevator with your dream investor, client/customer, or even employee. How do you make those 60 seconds or less stand out and make an unforgettable impression? The solution is to have your elevator pitch prepared and ready.

In essence, an elevator pitch is a short spiel, aimed at helping a complete stranger remember you and/or your company. There are 5 key components to a successful and memorable elevator pitch:

  1. Have a good hook: this means, having something that will grab their attention and makes you light up.
    • When I meet a new business connection for the first time, my favorite icebreaker is to introduce myself by starting [after my name of course] with”I accidentally started my first company when I was 19…” This is 100% true, but sounds ridiculous and grabs their attention. At that point, they want to hear what I will say next and I am chuckling about whichever memory that little phrase has made me think of!
    • Body Language is a big part of your hook: your passion and excitement for what you do should shine through in your facial expression and posture as you are speaking
      • In the Western culture, strong eye contact, a firm hand shake & a smile will go a long way.
  2. Make it short! Keep your spiel to 20 – 45 seconds, and allow time for follow up questions
  3. Communicate your mission: when doing this, keep it simple.
    • Start with the problem you are fixing
    • Present your solution
    • Identify what makes your solution special
    • Follow up with just one (or two) data points that can be taken away
  4. Engage your audience: when you have finished your 20 – 45 second spiel, ask an open ended question to engage your audience in a dialogue.
  5. Practice! This may not feel natural at first, but practicing every chance you get, will make it roll off your tongue with ease.
    • When I have a change that I want to make to my elevator pitch, I like to take it for a test drive, in low risk situations. I have been known to ‘test out’ portions of my elevator pitch on my friends’ friends, especially if I am meeting them for the first time and it is the correct situation, or to try it out on people that are in my continuing education classes with me. I always let them know (after the fact) what I was doing and thank them for their time!

Ready to make your elevator pitch? I found this amazing website on how to make an elevator pitch. Just click here, and then let us know how making your elevator pitch went! If you feel like posting your elevator pitch in the comments section of this post, we would love to read them!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Chelsea Auton
The Volpe Consulting & Accounting Team

Sources

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/5-keys-to-a-great-elevator-pitch-1/

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/elevator-pitch.htm

Bonus Content my elevator pitch…as it currently stands:
Hello, I am Chelsea Auton, and I accidentally started my first company, in my dorm room, when I was 19 years old. While running this company, I realized the true value in fully understanding the financials of a company. I now use my accounting expertise to manage the books of various types of small businesses and to work work with their owners understand their financials and help them maximize their profits.

After working with our firm for 1 year, 95% of companies see an increase in profits. What is the most difficult or frustrating part of keeping your financial books?

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